Attitude of Dental Prostheses Residents of Faculty of Dentistry of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences to Objective Structured Clinical Examination(OSCE)

Introduction: Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is one of the most authentic ways to evaluate clinical skills. The present study aimed at evaluating the attitude of dental prostheses residents of the faculty of dentistry of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences toward this kind of examination. Methods: In this cross sectional-descriptive study, two questionnaires were designed. One questionnaire dealt with nature of OSCE and the other dealt with the attitude of residents about OSCE. After holding the OSCE in July 2012, 2013, and 2014, the questionnaires were delivered to all dental prostheses residents of the Tabriz dental faculty. In total, 40 questionnaires were filled out within three years. Questions included five-choice items based on a Likert scale. Furthermore, the students’ scores in each exam were recorded to evaluate any possible relationship between the acquired grade and the student’s attitude toward the exam. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS17 software (α=5%). Results: Most residents (62.5%) referred to the large number of questions as a positive factor. In addition, a majority of residents (90%) suffered from high levels of stress during OSCE. There was a close relation between the grade acquired by the residents in the examination and their attitude to OSCE as well as their evaluation about the examination. The students with better grades had more positive attitudes toward OSCE. Conclusion: Considering the satisfaction level of the students in this study, OSCE was held efficiently and may be considered as part of the training program of the residents